Century Home Sashes
Original wood double hung and casement sashes in older homes usually hold single panes in linseed oil putty. Many have been painted shut or badly reglazed over the years, and some also need wood window frame repair at the sill.
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Traditional reglazing for older wood sashes
Single Pane Glass Replacement and Reglazing in Kitchener-Waterloo
Single pane glass has not been standard in new Ontario homes for decades, yet it is still everywhere once you start looking in older neighbourhoods, farm properties and backyard outbuildings. GTS Windows & Doors replaces single panes in century home sashes, wooden and aluminum storm windows, basement and garage windows, workshops and older door lites across Kitchener-Waterloo. We have been glazing, repairing and installing windows in the region since 1986.
This work is quite different from swapping a sealed glass unit. It means cutting glass to fit an old and often out-of-square opening, removing hardened putty without splitting the wood, and reglazing by hand with glazier points and fresh putty. We do it for homeowners restoring older houses, landlords with aging rental stock, and contractors who need a glazier on renovation or heritage projects in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and the surrounding townships.
When a broken pane is only one of the problems with an old window, we look at the sash joints, the sill and the paint at the same time. Our aim is to keep original windows working when they are worth saving, and to tell you plainly when they are not. Single pane glazing is one of several window repair services we offer.
- Since 1986Four decades in Waterloo Region
- 20-Year WarrantyParts and labour, in writing
- Licensed & WSIBFully insured crews
- ENERGY STARRated windows and doors
- SAWDAC MemberIndustry association
Where We Still Find Single Pane Glass
Storm Windows
Wood and aluminum storms add a second layer outside an old sash. Their glass tends to break more often than the main window's, because storms take the hits from weather, ladders and seasonal removal.
Basement and Garage Windows
Older basement hoppers, steel utility sash and garage door windows often use single glass. They sit low, close to lawn mowers, trimmers and snow shovels, so they crack regularly.
Outbuildings and Workshops
Sheds, barns, detached garages and seasonal buildings frequently keep single glazing because they are not heated full time. Simple, durable glass is usually the right call there.
Door Lites and Transoms
Older wood doors, transoms and interior French doors often have single lites set in putty or wood stops. Where the lite sits in an exterior entrance door, the replacement usually has to be safety glass.
Reglazing Wood Window Sashes
Reglazing is the traditional way to set glass in a wood sash, and it still outperforms any shortcut. Where we can, we take the sash to a bench, since glazing flat gives a cleaner, better-sealed putty line than working on a ladder.
Removing Old Glazing Putty
Old putty can be rock hard, so we soften it with controlled heat and lift it with a putty knife and chisel angled away from the wood. We then pull the old glazier points, clean the rabbet (the recess the glass sits in) back to sound wood, and prime bare wood so it will not draw the oil out of the new putty. Older sashes often carry lead paint, so we avoid dry sanding and contain the debris.
Glazier Points and Fresh Putty
We lay a thin bed of putty in the rabbet, press the new pane into it, and fix it with glazier points roughly every 150 to 200 mm. The face putty is tooled to a clean bevel that sheds water and stays hidden behind the sash from inside. Once it skins over, it is painted with the paint lapped just onto the glass to seal the joint.
Choosing the Right Glass
Thickness matters in old sashes, because the rabbet only has so much depth for glass and putty. We measure it before ordering anything heavier than the original pane.
| Glass type | Where it fits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clear annealed glass | Most sashes and storm windows | Standard glass, cut to size on demand |
| Tempered glass | Door lites and other spots where code requires it | Cannot be cut after tempering, so it is ordered to exact size |
| Laminated glass | Security, street-level windows, noise | Holds together when broken, slightly thicker |
| Obscure or patterned glass | Bathrooms, basements, entry lites | Privacy while keeping light |
| Restoration (wavy) glass | Visible front sashes in heritage homes | Imitates old hand-made glass, costs more |
Matching Old and Wavy Glass in Heritage Homes
Glass made before modern float production came from blown cylinders or early drawn sheets, which leaves faint waves, tiny bubbles and a soft ripple in reflections. One flat modern pane in a front window full of original glass stands out from the street.
For those sashes, we source restoration glass from specialty makers such as Bendheim, made to imitate that wavy, hand-made look. If you have salvaged panes from another old sash, we can often cut them down and reuse them, although old glass is more brittle and occasionally breaks during cutting.
Reglazing like for like rarely raises an issue, but replacing sashes or changing their look on a designated heritage property or in a Heritage Conservation District may need approval. Our guide to window permits and heritage rules in Kitchener explains when that applies.
Should You Upgrade to Insulated Glass?
A single pane has roughly half the insulating value of a basic double pane unit, and far less than modern Low-E glass. There are three practical ways to improve on it, and the right one depends on how much of the original window you want to keep.
Add or Restore Storm Windows
A tight storm window over a sound single pane sash can bring performance close to basic double glazing and shields the original from weather. It is the usual choice for heritage windows.
Retrofit a Sealed Unit
Some larger, sturdy sashes have a rabbet deep enough, or can be modified, to take a slim insulated glass unit. It does not suit thin muntin bars, and it is the same sealed unit work described on our double pane glass replacement page.
Replace the Window
When the sash is rotten, loose or painted beyond saving, a new window is the better investment. We install wood windows that suit older homes and handle full window replacement in every common material.
What Single Pane Replacement Costs
These are typical 2026 prices in Waterloo Region for glass, glazing compound and labour with normal access. A sash painted shut, heavy paint build-up or rot adds time, while several sashes done in one visit lower the cost per window.
Finish painting of the new putty can be included or left to you, and we price it separately so you can choose.
| Job | Typical price | What changes it |
|---|---|---|
| One small pane in a wood sash (under 4 sq ft) | $150 to $275 | Putty condition, access |
| One large pane (4 to 10 sq ft) | $225 to $450 | Glass thickness, sash removal |
| Full reglaze of a multi-lite sash | $275 to $650 per sash | Number of lites, paint build-up |
| Storm window pane | $125 to $300 | Wood or aluminum storm, size |
| Tempered or laminated single pane | $250 to $550 | Size, order lead time |
| Restoration (wavy) glass pane | $300 to $700 | Glass grade, size |
More Repairs Services
- Broken Glass ReplacementWindow glass replacement for broken or cracked panes in Kitchener-Waterloo.
- Foggy Double Pane GlassFoggy window repair in Kitchener-Waterloo: GTS replaces the failed sealed glass unit, keeps your frame and can upgrade you to Low-E glass.
- Triple Pane GlassTriple pane glass replacement in Kitchener-Waterloo.
- Aluminum Frame RepairAluminum window repair in Kitchener-Waterloo: bent frames, corroded slider tracks, leaking corners and window capping fixed by GTS since 1986.
- Vinyl Frame RepairVinyl window repair across Kitchener-Waterloo for cracked corners, warped frames and leaking sills.
- Wood Frame RepairWood window repair in Kitchener-Waterloo: rotted sills and frames fixed with epoxy, spliced-in wood or new sills, with heritage-sensitive restoration by GTS.
Single Pane Glass FAQs
Can you replace one pane in an old wood window?
Yes. We remove the old putty and points around the broken pane only, set a new pane cut to fit, and reglaze it to match the rest of the sash. If the putty on the other panes is cracked or falling out, it often makes sense to reglaze the whole sash at the same time.
Do you replace glass in storm windows?
Yes, we replace glass in wood storms and in aluminum triple-track combination units. Removable storm panels can often be glazed at our shop, which keeps the cost down. Tell us the frame type and size when you call.
When does replacement glass need to be tempered?
The Ontario Building Code calls for tempered or laminated safety glass in storm and sliding doors at a home's entrance, in wide sidelights that could be mistaken for a door, in larger glass areas of entrance doors that reach close to the floor, and in shower or tub enclosures. Standard window sashes are generally not covered by those rules. We still suggest safety glass for panes very close to the floor or beside a stair.
How long before new glazing putty can be painted?
It depends on the product. Fast-skinning linseed oil putties such as Sarco Type M are usually ready for paint in about 2 to 7 days, while oil-based glazing compounds such as DAP 33 can take 1 to 3 weeks to firm up. The putty is ready when a light touch no longer leaves a fingerprint.
Book Your Glass Replacement
Tell us how many panes are broken, their rough size, and whether the glass is in a main sash or a storm window. A photo of the sash helps us plan the glass and quote accurately.
Call or text226-806-0597- Monday to Saturday: 7:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am to 5:00pm - 47 Bridge Street East, Kitchener, ON N2K 1J7